Editor’s note: The blog post below was graciously written by LinkedIn’s Karina Gutierrez Perez and answers several questions Realized Worth teed up in conjunction with our Networked for Impact report and webinar.
At LinkedIn, one of the ways we scale social impact across the company is through our Local Social Impact Leads program—a global network of approximately 50 employee leaders and 100+ committee members who volunteer beyond their day jobs to help bring our vision—to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce—and culture to life through social impact.
These trusted culture carriers serve as an extension of our team, connecting teammates, nonprofit partners, and job seekers facing barriers to opportunity. Across more than 30 LinkedIn offices worldwide, they build partnerships, create opportunities for employees to give back, and help strengthen the connection between LinkedIn and the communities we serve.
Their impact reaches far beyond individual events. During our most recent fiscal year, they helped engage 45.6% of our teammates in volunteering and giving, contributing to more than 44,000 volunteer hours and over $14 million in donations and matching gifts.
Behind those numbers is a group of passionate leaders making a difference in their communities every day. That’s why we invest in their growth and development—because sustainable impact starts with supporting the people who make it possible.
Why are onboarding, ongoing training, and the Local Leads Summit all non-negotiable? And where did that conviction come from? Was it built from evidence, or did something have to break first?
From onboarding and ongoing learning opportunities to our annual summit, every part of the experience is intentionally designed to help Local Leads thrive.
Onboarding Creates Clarity
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that people are most effective when they have a clear understanding of their role and where LinkedIn is uniquely positioned to make a difference.
Without that clarity, Local Leads can be pulled in too many directions, spend time on lower-impact work, and ultimately risk burnout. Strong onboarding helps focus their energy where it matters most.
Ongoing Learning Builds Connection
Our bi-monthly calls are about more than program updates; they create space for Local Leads to learn from one another, share ideas, and connect with a broader community of peers. In fact, some of our best ideas have emerged directly from Local Leads inspiring one another. To maintain this momentum, we also utilize an active Teams channel and group chats, ensuring we stay connected.
The Local Leads Summit Creates Transformation
While onboarding provides clarity and ongoing learning creates connection, the summit offers something different: space for deeper reflection, growth, and renewal. It gives Local Leads the opportunity to step away from day-to-day logistics and focus on what it means to lead social impact work while advancing our vision.
Together, we explore topics such as sustainable leadership, employee engagement, partnership building, and innovative approaches emerging across our offices. We also create opportunities for Local Leads to engage in conversations that help them strengthen their work, including learning from nonprofit partners, hearing from senior leaders, and sharing their own expertise. Through nonprofit panels, leadership discussions, and peer learning, Local Leads gain valuable insights while elevating the voices and experiences of the job seekers and communities they serve. These moments not only inspire new ideas, but also create opportunities for Local Leads to influence key stakeholders and help shape a better experience for our community members on the platform.
Just as importantly, the summit creates time to build relationships with peers who understand the unique opportunities and challenges of the role. Those connections often become an ongoing support network, helping Local Leads stay inspired, share ideas, and create greater impact long after the summit ends.
Our conviction comes from both experience and results.
We’ve seen that when we invest in our Local Leads, they feel more connected, supported, and equipped to create impact in their communities. We’ve also seen the opposite: when opportunities to connect and learn from one another decrease, collaboration suffers and burnout can increase.
The lesson has been clear: if we want sustainable impact, we have to invest in the people making that impact possible.
Whether through in-person gatherings or virtual experiences, it’s important to create space for your ambassador community to come together, step away from day-to-day logistics, and focus on becoming stronger, more effective volunteer leaders. By investing in their growth, connections, and well-being, you create the foundation for lasting impact in the communities they serve.
Walk us through a moment this program got real internal pushback. Who needed convincing, what was their objection, and what finally moved them (or not!)?
One challenge we’ve faced over the years was helping others understand the value of the Local Lead role, especially during periods of increased team workloads.
Rather than positioning the role as simply a volunteer opportunity, we began describing it for what it truly is: a leadership opportunity. Local Leads build partnerships, influence culture, solve problems, represent LinkedIn in their communities, and help advance our vision in meaningful ways.
The role also helps employees develop skills they may not have the opportunity to build in their day jobs. For example, some Local Leads are not people managers, yet they gain valuable leadership experience by guiding committees of passionate teammates, coaching volunteers, and bringing community initiatives to life.
This reframing has helped more people across the company recognize that Local Leads are not only advancing our culture, but also building leadership capabilities they bring back to their teams and day-to-day work. While we still have opportunities to strengthen this narrative, we’ve seen meaningful progress and remain committed to continuing that work.
If you had to cut one element of your training program (onboarding, ongoing training, or the summit), which would your Social Impact Leads fight hardest to keep, and why?
We honestly wouldn’t choose to cut any part of the program because each element serves a distinct and important purpose.
That said, our Local Leads Summit has become one of the most valued experiences in the program. Every time we’ve hosted it, Local Leads have described it as inspiring, re-energizing, and transformative. We are intentional about creating opportunities for our community to come together because many of our Local Leads are based in offices where our Social Impact team is not present, making connection with peers especially meaningful.
At our most recent summit, we hosted more than 20 sessions designed to equip Local Leads with new skills, ideas, relationships, tools, and partnerships to grow their social impact efforts locally. The summit achieved an NPS score of 100, with 100% of attendees agreeing it was a valuable use of their time and reporting that they learned something new, built meaningful relationships, felt valued, and strengthened their connection to the work.
Whether gathered in person or virtually, creating dedicated space for Local Leads to learn from one another, build relationships, and step back from day-to-day logistics has proven invaluable. These moments help strengthen their sense of community, spark new ideas, and reinforce the shared purpose that drives their work. The relationships formed, ideas exchanged, and energy renewed during those few days often fuel impact for months—and sometimes years—to come.
